Research

CMI emphasis on evidence-based practice leads us to maintain a continuous programme of research. Our network members participate in these research initiatives. You can take part by offering to complete a survey, or provide a case study, or simply offer comments from your experience and observation.

Some of our current research initiatives, for which we are actively gathering data, are:

Managing multi-country mentoring programmes

This study aims to identify good practice in design of international mentoring programmes. These programmes may involve mentoring between people in different countries; or be local interpretations of a global initiative. We are particularly looking for good case studies. The outcome of this research will be a book.

The boundary between coaching and therapy: how can coaches and therapists work together?

This theme is one we are developing through LinkedIn discussion groups. Our intention is to produce a good practice guide, which will be available as a report/ short e-book from the CMI website.

Mentoring in Asia-Pacific: trends, themes and good practice

Mentoring is growing rapidly in Asia-Pacific. We are currently collecting data about trends, differences and similarities with mentoring in North America and Europe, and challenges in implementing mentoring in the region. The resulting book will include a wide selection of case studies from across the region.

Learning through laughter: The role of humour in coaching and mentoring

This long-term study draws on existing interest amongst academics in the role of laughter in promoting creative thinking, openness to change and general well-being.

Mentoring myths

The story of Mentor is a product of Western civilization – myths and values absorbed from Ancient Greece into the psyche of Western nations. So it’s not surprising that mentoring practice and academic studies of mentoring tend to express values related to European/ North American society. Even within Western society, there are different interpretations of the mentoring story, with the USA viewing the role of mentor far more in the context of sponsorship and Europe emphasising quality of thinking and the development of wisdom. This US/Europe split reflects two aspects of the goddess Athena (the real mentor to Odysseus and his son Telemachus): the protector, under her cloak or aegis, and the goddess of wisdom.

We are gradually gathering stories from other cultures, which relate to the journey to maturity and wisdom. Our aim is to explore where these differ from and coincide with the Mentor myth, and the implications this has for adapting mentoring programmes and training to local cultures. We want to collect as many of these stories as we can!

Although overall spend on training and development has in many organisations been capped or declined during the recession, coaching and mentoring appear to have at least held their own and actually become a more critical part of the L&D offering …

Featured Video

An introduction to mentoring

In this interview David covers questions such as the differences between coaching and mentoring and the benefits of introducing a mentoring programme to an organisation.

Virtual teams have a number of differences compared with co-located teams. On the plus side, their geographical dispersion means that they can draw upon a wider and more diverse pool of talent. It is also easier to maintain 24-hour oversight …

It’s a common misconception that loneliness is about isolation from or lack of contact with other people. In reality, people differ greatly in how they respond to being on their own. Loneliness is a feeling of being socially isolated that …